I just received a low G from Ronaldo Reyburn and wanted to express how pleased I am with it. This whistle is awesome in its sensitivity to breath pressure, which allows you to radically alter the timbre and/or pitch of notes. Having small fingers, the large bore with offset tone holes is a blessing…whereas with my Sindt A I have to resort to ‘semi-pipers’ grip with the low hand (had to do this with my Shaw A too) I can easily play the Reyburn with a relaxed, comfortable fingerpad grip. And it’s pretty dang loud too, which more and more I have come to require, nay DEMAND in a whistle.
My whistle is tuned to ‘Just’ intonation which I think is pretty nifty. The mouthpiece just feels delicious! And the tone…warm, meaty and fabulous.
Ronaldo was very accomodating and gracious. He kept me informed, and asked for my feedback.
If - as JessieK maintains - his low D whistle surpasses this one, then I’m lining up for one!
Well I’m just here to let you all know that I totally agree with what Raymond has to say!
I dearly love my Reyburn Low G and I play it with my finger pads (not a pipers grip). The tone is wonderfully sweet and RICH.
Constance
ps I’ve had problems in the transition area with other whistles, but the Reyburn is smooth as silk.
[ This Message was edited by: Constance on 2002-01-21 16:44 ]
Just to add my bit - I have a Ronaldo Reyburn Low D which I bought last year and still love playing (although I have been in semi-retirement due to being very sick while pregnant for the last few months.) I have the offset holes which I agree are a revelation for those of us who don’t have huge hands. I have to use a semi piper grip but it still means I can play a low D which is something that I couldn’t achieve on a regular whistle of that size. Long live Reyburns! Keep up the good work Ronaldo - nice to hear that these whistles are catching on far and wide and that players appreciate the beautiful tone they give with not too much effort.
When I first saw a picture of a Reyburn Low I thought what a neat idea it was - combining the wooden head with a brass body. I really like the sound woodwinds made from wood - to me they sound richer than those made from metal or plastic. Additionally, as I have rather small hands the offset hole design may be quite useful to me. Does anybody have any sound clips of a Reyburn? The only clips I have heard are the ones on the Reyburn website - I’d love to hear some more!
I just got a Reyburn low D a couple of days ago. (It sat at the post office for 5 days before I could get over there. How’s that for discipline? I suggested to my wife I call in sick so I could go pick it up. Didn’t fly.)
I was impressed by the sound files on Ronaldo’s site. The whistle I got, in Just tuning, sounds pretty much like the sound files, which is what I was hoping. The sound is very rich and fluty, but with low chiff (some, but not a lot). I’m still getting used to getting my fingers on the holes. I’ve been used to a conical Copeland. I haven’t had the chance yet to really spend time with it, but just the little time I’ve had, it sounds very cool to me. I’ll get a file onto Clips asap.
Ronaldo emailed me back when I told him I picked up the whistle and that I liked it. Told me he has a new voicing, “dark and smoky” I think is how he put it. I drooled and told my wife. She laughed in my face and said she’d email Ronaldo and tell him a thing or two. (Fair warning, Ronaldo.)
Tony
I certainly appreciate all the response to my whistles! Its very gratifying to work for so many years developing something and to have it so well appreciated and received. Lucy, great to hear you’re still playin’ the Low D,I just figured out that you and Gerry are partners, nice to hear that there are two whistle players in the family, and another one on the way.
I have been spending most of my time developing new voicings and narrower bore sizes for my whistles. Sorry, Tony, to tempt you with yet another whistle, but this new “dark and smoky” voicing will appeal to those of you looking for a purer, more “whistly” tone. I’m quite excited about the new narrow bores which will offer quicker response for jigs and reels. These are now ready and available, so you can stop drooling, Tony!
However, my web site has not been updated for at least two years so it doesn’t reflect the current developments. Please bear with me for I am now focused on updating the site. Hopefully it will be ready soon with new pics, text and sound bites and a whole fresh presentation!
I’ll let you all know when the site is ready for a look and a listen!
Ronaldo
[ This Message was edited by: Reyburnwhistles on 2002-01-21 20:30 ]
Ronaldo - just to update you, our wee baby, Sorcha, was born 5 1/2 weeks ago so we’re busy playing as many tunes to her as we can remember in the hope she’ll pick up a Reyburn when she’s old enough / her fingers are big enough!!! Dunno yet if she’ll be a leftie like her dad or if she’ll have wee hands like her mum though… Glad to hear your whistles are evolving - mine is still a thing of great beauty. Look forward to seeing the new revamped website. Best wishes, Lucy.
Ronaldo, I will keep my eye on your website for those changes. I rely heavily on websites for pre-purchase information on whistles (and other things). of course, reviews here at Chiff & Fipple are a huge help too.
Umm, pardon my ignorance, but could somebody explain to me the term “just intonation”?
You’re welcome. You’ll find my explanation of just intonation under the recent thread ‘Low D by Cillian O’Briain’, or explanations of it all over the web.
[ This Message was edited by: Raymond on 2002-01-22 13:11 ]
Thank-you Raymond. I hadn’t read that thread yet (I have now) and being relatively new to music I am pretty ignorant with respect to music theory. Thus, I was unaware that the term “just intonation” is commonly used. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction
